It is well known that the multiplicity of electrical outlets or receptacles distributed about a dwelling represents a clear and present danger to curious children. Since a conventional receptacle provides clear, unobstructed paths from the slots in its face to the plug-in contacts therebehind for accepting the insertion of the blades of a standard electrical plug, the absence of the plug renders the contacts accessible to children inserting a thin, elongated object. If the object is metallic, such a a hairpin, paper clip, nail file, or the like, and is inserted into engagement with the live contacts of the receptacle, a serious, even fatal shock may be the tragic result.
There have been numerous approaches and designs proposed in an attempt to render electrical receptacles child-resistant. Perhaps the simplest approach is to insert the prongs of a plastic protective cap into the slots of all unused receptacles that are accessible to children. However, the reliability of this approach depends on the diligence of adults to ensure that protective caps are installed in all unused receptacles. Moreover, these protective caps are not particularly difficult to remove, even for children. An analogous and more reliable approach is to permanently mount a protective cap to the face of the receptacle having slots which are normally nonaligned with the receptacle slots. The cap is then manipulated to a position aligning its slots with the receptacle slots, whereupon the blades of a standard plug have access the receptacle contacts.
Another basic approach has been to provide internal switches which can be actuated only by the concurrent insertions of a pair of plug blades to connect the receptacle contacts into the branch electrical circuit wired to the receptacle terminals. Thus, unless the switches are actuated, the receptacle contacts are dead and therefore safe to the touch by a conductive foreign object inserted into one of the receptacle slots.
Yet another basic approach is to provide shutters which are normally positioned to block access to the receptacle contacts for foreign object inserted through either one of the receptacle slots, but are readily shifted to unblocking positions by the concurrent insertion of the blades of a standard electrical plug. The probability of a child simultaneously inserting foreign objects into both receptacle slots is so remote that this shuttered approach is considered reliably child-resistant.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved safety electrical receptacle.
A further object is to provide a safety electrical receptacle capable of universally accepting a variety of standard electrical plug blade configurations.
Another object is to provide a safety electrical receptacle of the above-character which is reliably child-resistant, yet is as convenient and facile to use for its intended purpose as conventional receptacles.
An additional object is to provide a safety receptacle of the above-character, which is inexpensive to manufacture in quantity, durable in construction, and reliable in operation over a long useful life.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.